The suruey of popery vvherein the reader may cleerely behold, not onely the originall and daily incrementes of papistrie, with an euident confutation of the same; but also a succinct and profitable enarration of the state of Gods Church from Adam vntill Christs ascension, contained in the first and second part thereof: and throughout the third part poperie is turned vp-side downe.

The first Chapter, containing certaine Preludes, no lesse necessarie for the intelligence of the Chapters folow∣ing, then for the exact discouerie of long hidden Po∣perie.

The first Prelude.

POpery was not hatched al on one day, moneth, or yeere, but crept into the church by little and little: and that bi∣cause the late bishops of Rome, were not Lines, Clements, and Syluesters;* 1.1 but naughtie and most wicked men. For so saieth their owne deare frier and great schooleman, Franciscus a Victoria. Yea, some of them beganne as foxes, continued as wolues, and ended as dogges. This to bee so,* 1.2 will witnesse with me Bartholomaeus Carranza their learned dominican doctor. Yea Irenaeus, who liued within 200. yeres of Christ, a∣uoucheth, that before his time, ignorance and negligence had brought many abuses into the Church. And what may wee thinke then of abuses in our dayes? Reade his wordes, apud Eusebium, histor. lib. 5, cap. 24.

The second Prelude.

* 1.3MAny things may euidently be proued to haue beene done, whereof for all that wee can yeeld no sound reason, when, where, & by whom they were done. For first, we know which the Papists can not denie, that in the primitiue church infants receiued the holy communion; yet neither we nor they can tel, when, where, and by whom, that vndiscreet custom first began & was abolished: it was usually practised in S. Austines time. Secondly, we know & they know, that the Lords supper in the Romish church is ministred vnder one kind contrary to Christs institution, yet neither we nor they can tel, when, where, and by whom, that execrable custom first began. Thirdly, we know & they know y^t priuat masse hath bin long practised in the church of Rome; yet can we neither tell, when, where, nor by whom it first began. But this we are assured of, that it is repugnant to Christs institution, wholy dissonant from apostolicall doctrine, and vtterly condemned by all approued antiquitie.

Fourthly, we know & they know, that their reformed Fran∣ciscans (now commonly called Capuchens) can tell right per∣fectly, that their other dissolute Franciscans haue swarued fro their ancient order, albeit they can neither tell, when, where, nor by whom, that dissolution first began: but they proue it àposteriori, by their ancient rules manifestly. And euen so doe we proue by the holy scriptures, (the true touchstone of all ve∣ritie) that the papists haue swarued from apostolicall doctrine, albeit we could not (as yet we can) assigne the time, place, and persons; when, where, & by whom such antichristian alteration began.

The third Prelude.

THe vsual practise of papists in their commentaries, bookse, and glosses, hath bin such & so intollerable in wresting the holy scriptures, as their owne deare brethren and great doc∣tours, cannot denie or conceale the same. And because this may seeme strange vnto the reader, their owne words shall beare me witnesse:* 1.4 for besides this, that Victoria confesseth their beg∣gerly and vnlearned Canonists to haue wrested the scriptures, in the behalfe and fauour of their Pope; these are the expresse words of Polidorus Ʋirgilius, their owne professed & sworne brother. Non secus isti iurisconsulti aliquoties detorquent sa∣cras

literas quó volunt, ac sutores sordidas solent dentibus ex∣tendere pelles. These popish Legists & Canonists,* 1.5 do now and then so wrest, and writhe the holy scripturs; euen as coblers do gnaw with their teeth and stretch out their filthie skinnes. Out of which words I note first, that this Polidore was a great [ 1] Papist himselfe, and so his testimony must needes be forceable against the papists. I note secondly, that he speaketh not of the meanest and worst sort of Papists, but euen of the best and of [ 2] their renowmed doctors, because he meaneth Hostiensis, their grand & famous doctor. Thirdly, that their mangling & wre∣sting [ 3] of the holy scriptures is most intolerable: & that without the same, they cannot possibly maintaine their wicked doctrine.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Victor. de pot. pap. relect. 4. pag. 151.
• * 1.2

  Carr. in Epit. conc. pag. 369.
• * 1.3

  August. libr. ad Bonefaccium, c. 4 ••o 7.
• * 1.4

  Victor. de potest· Eccl. relec. ••. sect. 6.
• * 1.5

  P. 39. Poly••••▪ Virg libr. 4. cap. ••.